The impact of the HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign on knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, sexual behaviour change and confidence in sexual practices.

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Abstract

The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) which is caused by the Human
Immune-deficiency Virus (HIV) is the greatest threat facing Namibia today. It is
the largest management challenge facing the education sector in Namibia. It has
negatively impacted on management, teaching and learning activities in this vital
sector. In response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the Polytechnic of Namibia started
its HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign in 1997 under the auspices of the Office of
the Dean of Students. The campaign focused on (1) knowledge, (2) attitude, (3)
beliefs, (4) sexual behaviour change and (5) confidence in sexual practices. The
intention of the 5 aspects was to empower students with knowledge on HIV/AIDS
in order to make informed choices and decisions. The major objectives of the study
were to: ascertain student knowledge of HIV/AIDS; change the attitudes of student
since stigma and discrimination are widespread; gather information on the belief
system of students on HIV/AIDS; gather information on sexual behaviour change of
students; and develop confidence in sexual practices.
The population for the study was the students of the Polytechnic of Namibia. The
sample size of the three hundred and ninety nine (399) students was randomly selected from the total sample frame. This comprises one hundred and sixty six (166) males and two hundred and thirty three (233) females. The total number is the unit of analysis.
A 3 point scale response survey questionnaire to evaluate the effectiveness of the Polytechnic HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign and to understand the behaviour that put students at risk of HIV/AIDS infection was administered to the unit of analysis.
Data obtained was analysed using percentage computation on knowledge, attitude,
belief, sexual behaviour change and confidence in sexual practices of the unit of analysis. The results of the analysis indicate that the awareness campaign has a
positive effect on the participants’ knowledge, attitude, belief, behaviour change and sexual practices.